Method of identifying goods and identifying labels used therewith



p i 6,1948. c. EMMEY ETAL 2,439,082

METHOD OF IDENTIFYING GOODS AND IDENTIFYING LABELS USED THEREWITH FiledFeb. '19, 1942 .7 1,; L 1:17.111; d I 10 INVENTOR- Cla r/(2.9% v

imqymxfialzmffah I Patented Apr. 6,1948

METHOD OF IDENTIFYING GOOIIS AND go r z lgmyma LABELS USED THERE- Charles Emmey and Max Katzenstein, New York, N. Y., assignors to Press-n Inc., New York,

N. Y., a, corporation of New York Application February 19, 1942, Serial No. 431,508 '15 Claims. (01. 40-2) 1 v This invention relates to a method of identifying goods, particularly goods having certain structural characteristics and the' article of manufacture constituting the identifying means used in the practice of such method of identificae 5 tion.

Heretofore, it has been desirable to identify the brand, size, trade-mark and the like of manufactured goods, wares, merchandise and articles by means of labels sought to be made a permanent part of the goods and the like so labelled.

-It has also been required in the commercial production of various articles, materials and" the like to identify the elements-ingredients or parts used in the production thereof by lot, size,

quantity, origin, content weight or other important characteristics as the goods pass through various steps of the manufacturing processes,

The methods of identification for these pur- 2o poses, heretofore used, included the use of labels made from textiles or other materials, such as paper, which labels were sewed, stapled or pasted to the articles, materials and the like, with which they were associated. In other instances, de-

calcomanias or hot transfers applied by solvents or heat or pressure were used.

These prior methods and labels were subject to certain disadvantages which the present invention contemplates overcoming. Further the relatively high cost of these prior methods is considerably reduced by the practice of the invention here concerned with.

Former methods of the type hereinabove enumerated were'chiefly applicable to that type of goods or articles which could be readily sewn by machine without accompanying defacement to the goods or articles by reason of the stitching required to sew the label thereto, as for example;

shirts, underwear, neckwear, dresses and the like. 40

However, whenapplied to articles ofthis character, where such defacement thereof is not of moving consequence, nevertheless the present invention is advantageous because it effects economies in time and labor and thereby greatly reduces the cost of application of identifying labels. In addition, our invention provides a label which is permanently secured to the goods, materials or articles and formed to constitute an integral part thereof.

In a great many instances, however, the prior methods and labels were not adapted to that class of articles to which labels could not readily be sewn by machine because the resulting stitch- 2 as for example. gloves, men's shirts which have been completely sewn together before the labels have been applied, or which impair the functional usefulness of the goods or articles, as for example, raincoats, shower curtains, tents or the like, wherein the openings made by the needle might permit water tb seep through or in knitted goods such as hosiery and the like wherein the needle might cut a thread and cause arun in the goods. The present invention, in contrast. is applicable to articles of this kind since, although labels according to it are permanently aflixed to such articles, the articles are not in the slightest damaged or their usefulness in any way thereby impaired.

An example of an advantageous use to which our invention may be put is for marking materials in'process of manufacture wherein it is necessary that they be identified as to certain characteristics for use in different stages in the process, for example in the manufacture of synthetic resins or similar materials, which are .used in the production of synthetic yarns: or other plastic products.

In the production of such materials, different lots or batches at varioussteps of the processing are marked so. that materials having certain characteristics required in a succeeding step,

These methods, further, were relatively expensive in time, labor and materials.

Our invention has particular application for identifying materials used in manufacturing processes since it overcomes the disadvantages of prior methods. 3

In those instances where decalcomanias, hot transfers or printing was necessarily used on finished articles made from synthetic materials, such as nylon yarns, the labels or identifying marks were relatively readily removed by, use of the goods and consequent wear.

In this connection, it should be recognized that nylon"'and the like yarns do not take" ing would either deface the article so labelled, color, but are surface dyed and therefore the printing thereon constituting the identifying label is likewise surfacedyed. Further goods of this kind will not "take hot transfers, which require much more heat than the yarns can withstand. Whenever such of these methods that are available are used, there is a lack of permanence to the identifying label or mark by reason of the fact that friction and washing wear it off.

Our invention overcomes alf' these inherent disadvantages of prior methods and labels and provides a method of permanently labelling, at a relatively reasonable cost any' article heretofore customarily labelled.

As a result the label provided by the present invention will not be removed by wetting, washing, laundering, dry cleaning or tearinggnor will it wear off by friction since it is secured thereto to become an integrated part thereof.

To enable those skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features of our invention and to illustrate the application thereof, as'a part of this disclosure, a drawing is annexed hereto, in which drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a thin film of thermoplastic resin, according to our invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, showing the film partially separated from a'sheet of glassine paper on which it has been arranged.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of an identifying label secured to a piece of material, pursuant to our invention. I

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fi 3. I

Referring now to the drawing, a thin film or sheet ID of a thermoplastic synthetic resin is cast or calendered preferably onto a sheet of glassine paper l2, or other material suitable for the purmay be done before or after detaching the film or sheet ID from the protecting carrier I4.

Although the film or sheet I 0 may be made from any suitable thermoplasticresin, in practice, we have found extremely satisfactory a calendered, highly plasticized copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate in the ratio of approximately 17:3. It will be understood that any suitable plasticizer, for example, dibutyl phthalate and castor oil, or a castor oil derivative may be used and that the example of the preferable resin cited is for illustration and not by way of limitation.

Films made from ethyl or acetyl cellulose or cellulose butyrate or other synthetics may be .used, the synthetic resin being one that will become plastic and adhesive under a temperature pose. The thickness of the film or sheet of resin 1 is comparatively sma1l,.in practice for the uses herein contemplated, being that of tissue paper or a sheet of writing paper.

The glassine paper is preferably used to, carry and protect against possible injury, the sheet or film ID of resin.

It will, of course, be understood the glassine paper is cited only for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation as any other suitable backing, made from difierent paper or other material may be used. Further, depending upon the characteristics of the film or sheet of resin and also on the article to which it is to be applied and the method of application which is used therewith, the film or sheet Ill, may be used without any protecting or carrying layer l2.

Where the film I0 is cast or calendered onto a protecting sheet or carrier, this is done on material and in a manner such that the two may be readily separated by pu1ling them apart.

The film or sheet of synthetic resin may be formed in rolls of material of any desirable length and at suitable spaced intervals thereon is printed, inscribed, or marked with the identification or label l4 involved. The word Indicia" appearing' on the drawing is intended to generally indicate the inscription and the dotted line It, the boundary thereof, the lines l8 the division line of each label.

In the drawing, the identifying label [4 is printed, inscribed or marked upon the film by any conventional method known in the graphic arts, upon the obverse or the reverse side of the film and preferably after the film or sheet has and pressure which will not affect the article or goods to which the label is thereby secured or which under the influence of a suitable solvent will impregnate it under pressure.

After the indicia or identifying mark has been printed, inscribed or marked thereon and, if necessary the film out along the lines l8 intoproper size for the specific use to which it is to be put, the identifying means is ready for application as a label.

The glassine'paper or carrying material may or may not have been removed beforeapplying the,film or sheet to the article or goods 20, dependent upon the mode of application that is convenient and used.

The label here concerned with may be applied to the article or goods either by means of heat and pressure or by means of a solvent and pressure, in either case the substance'ZZ comprising the film impregnating the article or goods 20.

Where the application of the label is by means of heat and pressure, the source of heat may be,

applied to it from above the film when it is superimposed upon the article or goods 20 to which it is applied, or from beneath this article if it is of a nature such as to permit rapid passage of heat through it. A

Pressure may be imparted by any convenient or suitable means known in the art and specifically forms no part of the invention.

The combination of heat and pressure may be effected by an iron heated to the proper temperature, or a heated press may be employed. In this connection,.the temperature at which the film becomes plastic and adhesive is controlled or determined by the quantity and chemical characteristics of the plasticizer used, as well as the type of resin.

It will be understood that the temperature and pressure to be applied will depend on many factors, such as the material of the article to be identified, the time period of application and the like.

For example with nylon" threads, the temperature should not be above 200 degrees F., whereas with cotton fabrics, it may be as high as 400 degrees F.

Further, the higher the temperature, the lower will be the pressure and the shorter will be the period of application required. Depending upon such factors, the pressure required for the illustrative resin varies from roughly ten to seventyfive pounds.

Where heat is used, this also serves to further aflix the ink-or printing to the film and make the colors somewhat faster, particularly where an ink, having as a base a compatible resin, is used. Wherever the use of heat may damage or is readily separable by pulling the film and sheet tegral part of the article, the material 22 constituting it forced into and flowing between the interstices of the article 20 (see Fig. 4) In either case the printed film thereby constitutes a label which is permanently laminated to the article to which it has been applied, the indicia 24 thereon integrated with the surface 26 of the thereby laminated article so that it will not be removed therefrom by wetting, washing, laundering, dry cleaning, tearing or wearing off.

Particularly in those applicationsused in the processing of different materials such as synthetic resins and the like referred to hereinabove, the indicia or marking may be applied, if desired, to the film or sheet after it has been sei cured to the package or parcel of the lot or batch of material which it serves to identify,

By the method and article just described, we have provided a means of identification and label therefor which is extremely flexible in application and relatively inexpensive to use and one of a permanent character.

We claim: a

1. An article of manufacture for forming therefrom an identifying label, which label is to be secured to an article to be thereby identified, said article of manufacture comprising a film of synthetic resin, normally non-adhesive in characteristic and having spaced indicia marked on a surface thereof, each said indicia constituting an identifying label, and a protecting sheet on the film adhering to the surface marked with the said indicia, said protecting sheet readily separable is the said indicia, said sheet readily removable from the film upon securing it at the other surface thereof to the article to be identified,

3. An article of manufacture comprising a film of a synthetic resin for forming therefrom a plurality of identifying means, each such identifying means for afiixation at one surface thereof to the article to be thereby identified by impregnation of the said article thereby identified with the synthetic resin comprising the identifying means, said article of manufacture having marked at spaced intervals thereon at the other surface thereof the said identifying indicia.

4. An article of manufacture for forming therefrom a plurality of identifying means, each such identifying means to be secured at one surface thereof to the article thereby identified, by impregnation of the thereby identified article with the resin constituting the identifying means, said article of manufacture comprising a film of plasticized synthetic resin on the other surface thereof having marked thereon at spaced intervals identifying indicia and a protecting sheet on the;

other surface of the film and from which the film apart.

5. Thearticle defined in claim 1, the film in cluding a copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate.

6. The article of manufacture defined in claim 1, the film being plastic and laminable to the article to be identified at a temperature below a includes forming a thermoplastic synthetic resin into a film thereof, forming from the film an identifying label, marking identifying indicia on the label on one surface thereof and securing the label at the other surface thereof to the article to be identified by impregnating the article with the resin by means of heat and pressure. I

8. The method of identifying an article, which includes forming a thin film of synthetic resin to provide from the film an identifying label, marking thereon on one, surface thereof identifying indicia and securing the other surface the said thereby providedlabel to the article to be identified by impregnating the said article to be identified with the resin-constituting the identifying label to laminate it to the article.

9. The method of identifying an article which includes forming a film of synthetic resin to provide an identifying label, marking thereon on one surface thereof identifying indicia, and securing the identifying label at the other surface thereof to the article underheat and pressure to impregnate the article with the resin constituting the label and thereby laminate it to the article.

10. The method of identifying an article which includes forming a film of synthetic resin, marking thereon on one surface thereof identifying indicia, forming an identifying label from the film and securing the identifying label at the other surface thereof to the article thereby identified by moistening the label with a solvent therefor at said second mentioned surface and subjecting the solvent moistened label and the article to pressure.

11. An article of manufacture for forming therefrom an identifying label, which label is to be secured to an article to be identified, said article of manufacture comprising a film of synthetic resin, normally non-adhesive in characteristic and having spaced indicia marked on one surface thereof, each said indicia constituting an identifying label, and at protecting sheet on the film adhering to the other surface thereof, said protecting sheet readily separable from the film of synthetic resin upon securing a label at the indicia bearing surface to the article to be identi- 12. An article of manufacture comprising a film of synthetic resin for forming therefrom'an identifying means to be secured, to an article to be thereby identified, by impregnation of the said thermoplastic resin constituting an identifying label for attachment to an article to be identified by impregnating the article with the resin, said film having identifying indicia printed thereon 7 on the surface thereof to be attached to the article, the ink of the printed indicia having as a base a resin compatible with the said thermoplastic resin.

14. The identifying label of claim 12, said thermoplastieresin being a plasticized copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate,

15. The combination with an article of manufacture to be identified, said article having interstices, of an identifying label coinprisinga film of thermoplastic synthetic resin, normally non-adhesive in characteristic, afilxed at one surface of the label under'h'eat and pressure to the said article, said surjace of the label having indicia marked thereon the resin comprising the label at the said surface impregnated in the interstices of the article to integrate it therewith.

CHAS. EMMEY.

MAX KATZENSTEIN.

REFERENCES CITED Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Goodsell et al. Aug. 26, 1913 Klatte et a1 Oct. 2, 1917 Swift Apr. 29, 1919 Herrmann et al Dec. 9, 1930 Kratz Dec. 22, 1931 Gray 1 Apr. 4, 193' Schepmoes Jan. 23, 1934 Gutherlet et al June 19, 1934 Mull et a1. Dec. 6, 1938 Maskowitz et a1 Feb. 6, 1940 Grofl Mar. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June '14, 1935 Great Britain Jan. 20, 1938 

